Heard It On The Radio
Glen Burtnik Lyrics
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Small town girl full of big time dreams
She had a plan, boy, she had a scheme
Fast Talking Johnny put the stars in her eyes
Tears at the airport waving goodbye
Now look what happened, I can’t believe it’s true
Everywhere I go they’re talk talk talking ‘bout you and I
I heard it on the radio
I wasn’t ready, I didn’t know until
I heard it on the radio
They said your name, it must be so
One by one and two by two
Doors opened easy - she walked right thru
Word got around about the new face in town
She blew her horn and the walls came down
The television, the nightly news
Everywhere I go they’re talk talk talking ‘bout you
I heard it on the radio
I wasn’t ready, I didn’t know until
I heard it on the radio
They said your name, it must be so
She took the world and held it in her hand
You just can’t help it when the good goes bad
She got what she wanted but she lost what she had
On the magazine cover she looks so fine
But I can remember when she used to be mine
And I heard it on the radio
Don’t wanna hear it - don’t wanna know
‘Cos I heard it on the radio
The lyrics to Glen Burtnik's "Heard it on the Radio" describe a small town girl who is full of ambition and has big dreams. She has a plan and a scheme that will help her achieve her goals. Fast Talking Johnny was able to put the stars in her eyes, and she left her hometown with tears in her eyes, off to the big city to chase her dreams. However, as she becomes more successful, her name is on everyone's lips, and news of her triumphs travels fast. The singer of the song finds out all of this information by hearing it on the radio. The lyrics are reflective of how the news can travel fast and wide.
The lyrics also suggest that while the singer of the song may have heard about the small town girl and her success on the radio, she was not entirely prepared for it. The lyrics suggest that the singer may not have anticipated just how successful the small town girl was going to be. The chorus repeats that it was on the radio that the singer heard about the small town girl's success - this is a clear indication of how news can travel quickly and travel far.
The song's lyrics suggest that the singer is feeling regretful over his own relationship with the small town girl. As he listens to the news of her success, he reflects on how she used to be his, and he hears the news with a sense of sadness and disbelief. Overall, the song is essentially about how quickly news can travel and how life can change in a hurry, leaving people feeling unprepared and regretful.
Line by Line Meaning
Heard it on the radio
The singer heard some news about someone on the radio.
Small town girl full of big time dreams
A girl from a small town had ambitious dreams.
She had a plan, boy, she had a scheme
She had a specific plan to make her dreams a reality.
Fast Talking Johnny put the stars in her eyes
Someone named Fast Talking Johnny made her believe in her dreams.
Tears at the airport waving goodbye
She left for some opportunity and had an emotional farewell at the airport.
Now look what happened, I can’t believe it’s true
Something happened that is hard to believe.
Everywhere I go they’re talk talk talking ‘bout you and I
People are gossiping about the singer and the person they heard about on the radio.
I heard it on the radio
Repetition of the fact that the artist got the news from the radio.
I wasn’t ready, I didn’t know until
The artist was caught off guard by the news.
They said your name, it must be so
The artist heard the name of the person they knew or heard about.
One by one and two by two
People started to take notice of the ambitious girl.
Doors opened easy - she walked right thru
She easily got her opportunities and took advantage of them.
Word got around about the new face in town
People started to talk about the ambitious girl and her success.
She blew her horn and the walls came down
The girl's confidence and ambition led to a lot of success.
The television, the nightly news
The media talked about the girl's success.
She took the world and held it in her hand
The ambitious girl achieved a lot of success and had a lot of power.
You just can’t help it when the good goes bad
Sometimes success goes wrong and there's nothing one can do about it.
She got what she wanted but she lost what she had
The girl achieved her dreams but lost something important in the process.
On the magazine cover she looks so fine
The girl looks great on magazine covers.
But I can remember when she used to be mine
The artist remembers when the girl belonged to them or was close to them.
Don’t wanna hear it - don’t wanna know
The artist doesn't want to hear any more gossip or news about the person they knew/have heard about.
Contributed by Skyler A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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